What's in a Fairytale?
by Hyoko Hime-sama
Summary: A collection of short stories about Fairy Tales that went wrong or how they ruined other peoples happy ever after. Used to be called being left and leaving but that story has been renamed and edited. I'm BACK! New chapters coming soon. Rated for depressing themes. It is sad...
1. Forgotten and remembering

Forgotten and Remembering

All those years ago. I was in love and I was told he loved me back. I was so green that I believed it. I guess I never was enough for him.

But she was.

As soon as she entered the ballroom, he was stuck on her. I heard all the rumours: She was so beautiful, so elegant, as fragile as a summer's bloom. And I was nothing; as invisible to the world as I was to my past love while he frantically scoured the country in search of his mysterious girl. She had bewitched him, and there was nothing I could do about it. She left a shoe and the prince simply fell at her feet, literally.

I first saw her at their wedding. Her spun gold hair was delicately put up, the white wedding dress shimmering in the sunlight, her pale skin rosy with merriment. She looked so blissfully happy and looking back on it, so did he. Smiling like nothing could go wrong with the world; the perfect couple. Everyone wished them happiness in their lives but no-one could see my inner pain, my broken heart.

I would see them around the castle and they never seemed to see me. On the occasions that she did, the look she gave me was not one I would want from anyone, a look of pity and condescension, almost as is she were sorry to see me.

Eventually it became too much; every glance at them was like another stake into my already damaged heart. I knew I had to move on. I could no longer bear to be anywhere near them. I handed my resignation note to the house keeper, packed my stuff and left.

No one noticed and no one cared.

As I was leaving I took one last look at the castle that had been my home and employment for the last few years and felt a little regret. I was moving on but was my heart ready? No and it never would be; I can say that now. I found new employment, hardened my heart and threw myself into my work; no more would I think of the prince or his new bride.

It was probably this way of dealing with things that disallowed me to love anyone and drove others away from me, making me old before my time. Looking back on that time has made me realise something, hiding from your problems never solves anything.

Now I sit here writing this journal, my departure from this world all too imminent, and think back to those days. It was sad way to go about it but I've finally healed my heart and it belongs only to me. I will die happy knowing I have forgiven the Old King and his Queen.

After all everyone deserves a happy ever after.

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><p><strong>Fin. A short story about the girl Cinderella replaced. This is my first time writing a sad fic like this, I cried writing it... please review and tell me what you think. (=^o^=)<strong>


	2. The waiting of forever

The Waiting of Forever

So many years I've seen gone by. Just sitting, watching, waiting for a prince who never came. I've been locked in this tower for countless decades; wilting a little more as each one passes.

After the first I stopped painting, after the second I stopped dancing, the third I stopped singing, the fourth I stopped waiting, stopped hoping for such an insensible dream.

I will never ride into a sunset on the back of a horse or splash in a sparkling lake with a family, my family, much less love someone and have that someone love me back. I don't even know what love is. I'm just a sad old spinster whose been shut away all her days. Hidden away from happiness and laughter, from normal woes and mistakes, from any hope of a future.

Hidden away from life.

Now I'm sick and tired of this dismal excuse of an existence; my "life" given to eating sleeping and remembering. I sit and stare out of the solitary window, watching the singular scene before me change with the seasons more times than I care to count. Many times I've looked over the window ledge and imagined casting myself over. The rush of the wind as it pelts my face and assaults my ears would be the most excitement I'd ever have in my life. But each time I get close I draw back, too terrified of going that way to get more than one leg out the window. I began to hate myself for not being able to grant myself what would give me most happiness. I will be glad when one of these nights I'll go to sleep, and not see the next morning. Resting peacefully in the land of my hopes, where my dreams are unending and I never have to wake up again.

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><p><strong>A short dark fic on Rapunzel. Please review to tell me what you think and give me any suggestions of stories you think I should do. You'll get a virtual cookie and credit for it . I eagerly await your ideas ^u^.<strong>


	3. Eternal slumber

Eternal slumber

Since my sixteenth birthday I've lain in this same spot for countless years, hoping, waiting for my prince to come along. I'd dream of the day I'd sit up and look outside, taking in my first breath of fresh air or of looking into my princes eyes as we waltzed down the ballroom, of the celebration the country would hold the day I was finally awakened.

But it never happened.

The dream got tedious after several decades; I could never see the prince's face clearly or the clothes he was wearing and soon enough I could no longer feel the reality of it.

Then the dreams changed.

I would dream of listening to the king and queen as they told me to stay away from spindles, of ignoring the voice calling me away from my bedroom, but most of all, of never touching the damn needle that caused all of this any way! I knew however, that that would never become my reality.

My reality was worse than my dreams.

In my state of semi consciousness I could feel my muscles deteriorating from disuse, my bones becoming brittle and my skin withering from lack of sunlight. I was stiff and frail as an old woman yet the enchantment kept me alive. I was kept from death, the only other thing that could release me from this torment.

I cursed the fairy who changed my fate.

Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, I went on a downward spiral. Eventually my dreams became more and more fantastical until they were simply an endless swirl of colour and movement.

I went mad.

I began to babble and screech in my sleep, making unintelligible noises until my throat could screech no more; left in the psychedelic clutches of my eternal slumber.

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><p><strong>New Sleeping beauty fic ^u^. These are actually kinda dark aren't they...<strong>

**Oh well, hope you liked it. Please review!**

**Thanks to:**

**Juliet Knighly - You are so awesome! You reviewed both of my previous chapters! THANKIES! *offers plate* please partake of my virtual cookies to your hearts content. ^-^**

**Querty 007- First off can I just say your name is so cool! You're like a keyboard spy saving the world one word at a time... sorry, I went off on one. Yes, you may definitely have a cookie. ^u^**


	4. A lover's fate

**This chapter is dedicated to coolcat12345 who kindly reviewed my story and gave me the idea for this chappie. Thank you so much ^u^ I hope it's written to your satisfaction. **

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><p><span>A lover's fate<span>

Love. Who needs love? I'm not talking about familial love or agarpe love either but romantic love, 'the stuff of fairy tales'. Such a thing ruined her life, and ours.

She was my little sister, the only one younger than me out of all six of us. She was a surprise, born several years after the rest of us. With all the older ones busy with their hobbies when she was born, I was the only one who took an interest in her. I hung around mother to help look after her and later, when mother passed, I was the one who comforted her and it was my bed she crawled into when she had a nightmare. I was the one who helped her dress and brushed her hair. I mothered her as best I could and we were the closest of all our sisters.

When her love of discovery manifested itself I encouraged it, never believing that it would be the beginning of our misery. I delighted in her smile and she delighted in showing me the new things she discovered and explaining them if she could. The things she couldn't explain went into her cave of wonders and she built up quite a collection over the years. Then one day she made a discovery that she simply couldn't wait to show me.

It was from the human world.

She had been so excited when she found it was from the surface. After that she was dedicated to finding things from the surface and building her collection. I was worried. We have been warned time and again about the surface; it's not a safe place for the mer-people and we knew it. Yet, because I loved her so dearly I hid her fascination with the human world from everyone else and kept her joy for myself.

I hate myself for it now.

The night after she saved the Prince was the first time I realised my folly. She had no fear of the surface. She had been to and above the surface, touched a human and sang to him on land. She claimed that she _loved_ him. That night was the first time I warned her off the surface and her fascination. I hadn't realised it had gotten so bad. She was so upset when I told her not to go up there again and when she stormed out I felt it in my heart.

I later learned she had gone off and made a bargain with the sea witch.

She had traded her tongue, her wondrous singing voice, to change her beautiful tail and fins for _legs; _useless, frail, human legs that can barely move water. Worse still, they would pain her whenever she stepped, as though she was stepping on a thousand needles. She had gone up to the human world without so much as a goodbye and it broke my heart. She went to make her Prince love her. She _had_ to make him love her or she would turn to sea foam. She did that because of her _love_ for him.

I'll never know what happened up there, but she couldn't complete her task. The sea witch came to us the day before to tell us of the Prince's wedding. We began to rejoice believing our sister had prevailed but the witch let out a nasty cackle. He was getting married to another woman. My heart sunk in my chest. Losing her to the human world was bad enough but losing her to death would kill me. I begged the witch to give her a way out and she agreed; but for a price. My sisters and I had to give up our prized hair to obtain the special dagger which could ensure her safe return. We agreed of course, although many of the others did so only for my sake. I prayed she would have the good sense to return to us.

It turned out she did not. That night we got closer to the human world than ever before. As dawn began to break we called out to her as she stood alone on the deck of a great ship and she turned to us surprised and smiling. Her smile didn't reach her eyes; they were so dead, so cold. I learned of her pain through those eyes and prayed I could relieve it somewhat. I threw her the dagger and told her what it could do should she choose to use it. A glint flashed through her eyes. Hope. It was so quick I thought I imagined it. Then it was gone, and when despair took over I knew we had lost her forever. I told her I loved her and that we would miss her. She couldn't speak to us.

The sun rose and tears rolled into the ocean as we swam home. I knew I would never see her again.

After that I grew bitter. I _hated_ the Prince with a passion. How could she have fallen in _love_ with such a one? So much so that it overrode our strong love for each other? Who was he to capture my little sister's heart, wrenching her away from her home and family before casting her off for another? My baby sister, who was my joy. Now she was gone and I have only my memories for comfort. I sit in her cave and remember and wish. _If Only. _Those words haunt me down to this day. Sometimes I head to the surface now, away from both worlds, and watch the sea foam as it rolls past on the waves. She could have had so much longer before reaching this end, but _love_ drove her to an early finish. I myself have at least two hundred years more before becoming the foam and that is quite enough time for me. Yet somehow it is too long without her by my side. I vow to myself that I will never love in that way if this is a lover's fate.

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><p><strong>The Little mermaid from a sisters point of view, a mix of the Disney and the Hans Christian Anderson version. Whew, I wasn't expecting it to be so long! Please review and send me ideas; you'll receive a cup cake! Why a cupcake? I like cupcakes and I have already given out cookies so XP.<strong>


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